wow. He's been called the most spiritually influential person in the world! (I am assuming living person.)

That's a pretty cool title! And say what you will about his tenets, at least it's an ethos.

So, my Western History listserv is having a pretty lively debate over whether TBL is actually a subtle Western in disguise.

The Coen Brothers do enjoy both a good western, and a good disguised storyline. I can see the argument. Are you on H-west or something?

durp.

My feeling is that TBL is more of an anti-western, and that the mystery noir genres it was a homage to were reactions against the moralism of classic westerns. At the root, westerns are about heros taking action. The hero in TBL (dude) goes out of his way NOT to take any action. The other attempt at heroism (Walter), thinks he is a western hero, but clearly is just as inept as the Dude.

The metaphors of the film for the hypocrisy of the Reagan era are pretty rad, too (a rich Reaganite who is actually in debt to a New Left counterculture figure).

wow. He's been called the most spiritually influential person in the world! (I am assuming living person.)

That's a pretty cool title! And say what you will about his tenets, at least it's an ethos.

So, my Western History listserv is having a pretty lively debate over whether TBL is actually a subtle Western in disguise.

The Coen Brothers do enjoy both a good western, and a good disguised storyline. I can see the argument. Are you on H-west or something?

durp.

My feeling is that TBL is more of an anti-western, and that the mystery noir genres it was a homage to were reactions against the moralism of classic westerns. At the root, westerns are about heros taking action. The hero in TBL (dude) goes out of his way NOT to take any action. The other attempt at heroism (Walter), thinks he is a western hero, but clearly is just as inept as the Dude.

The metaphors of the film for the hypocrisy of the Reagan era are pretty rad, too (a rich Reaganite who is actually in debt to a New Left counterculture figure).

ok, that is awl.

Someone should make a meme of Jeffrey Lebowski with text from romney's 47% speech... or vice versa